


No Big Deal

by Verlaine



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-14
Updated: 2011-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-27 08:25:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/293722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verlaine/pseuds/Verlaine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few glimpses of Christmas aboard the Riptide</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Big Deal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hardboiledbaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardboiledbaby/gifts).



When Murray first moved aboard the Riptide, Cody quietly warned him that they didn't make a big deal out of Christmas. Murray nodded without paying too much attention, distracted by all the novelty of living on a boat and _wow!_ being a private eye and feeling part of a team for the first time in forever. Cody didn't elaborate, but Murray figured they couldn't make many firm plans because of the vagaries of the detective business. It wasn't as if he hadn't worked straight through numerous holidays himself without even noticing. He vowed to carry his share of the load without complaint.

By the time December rolled around, Murray had a pretty good idea of what 'not making a big deal' really meant. He slapped a Santa hat on the Roboz and taped up a few science-themed holiday cartoons in his room, figuring they didn't count as decorations if the guys didn't get the joke. (He was especially proud of the faster-than-light Christmas star one, which baffled even some of his physicist buddies.) Cody and Nick didn't look very impressed, but they didn't bitch at him either, so Murray called it good.

The following year, there really _was_ a case that had them running from mid-December into the new year. Christmas dinner was half a box of stale saltines washed down with Mountain Dew while on stakeout.

The year after that, Cody suggested they go out somewhere for Christmas dinner — nothing special, no fuss, it just seemed silly to miss out on the opportunity for some turkey and trimmings.

Nick shot the idea down on the spot.

Murray wasn't quite sure how that definite refusal turned into the three of them going to a restaurant on Christmas Eve. They walked back home afterwards through the quiet streets, the darkness shading the tacky store decorations into something a little magical. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nick take Cody's hand, just for a moment.

Last week, Nick brought home a tree in a container. No hint of Charlie Brown to this little evergreen: it's only about eighteen inches tall, but sturdy, covered in glossy deep green needles with a faint dusting of gold along the edges. The expression on Nick's face as he plunked it down on the table said that all comments were firmly discouraged.

Cody made a popcorn and cranberry string to wind around the branches, and Murray dug through his trash box for a couple of spare conductors and soldered together a little silver star to perch on top.

Over the next couple of weeks a small drift of brightly wrapped packages will gradually accumulate around the tree. A few special visitors will be offered a glass of eggnog, and all three of them will casually refill the plate of cookies beside the coffee pot from time to time without ever saying a word.

They still won't make a big deal out of Christmas, but that's okay. A small deal suits them all just fine.


End file.
